MOVIE REVIEW - The Kid (1921)

I'm fairly new to the world of silent cinema. I had seen a few shorts before, some Laurel and Hardy sketches mostly and the classic horror movie 'Nosferatu', but Charlie Chaplin's 'City Lights' made me fall in love with the media. Because I was only familiar with silent slapstick and horror, I never realized before that this form of old-fashioned film-making would be so well suited to bringing a touching story to life. I love how Chaplin mixed hilarious comedy with romance and sentimentality. The Tramp is immediately likeable and you want him to succeed in his efforts, whether he's trying to get a girl or bringing up a little boy as his own, you're there with him all the way.

The Kid was Chaplin's first feature length film and was extremely well received. It follows The Tramp as he finds an abandoned baby and tries to figure out what to do with the boy. He decides to raise him as his own and names him John. Because he's so poor, he works together with John in little schemes to earn money. When the boy becomes ill, a doctor finds out that The Tramp isn't his real father and has John taken away to an orphanage. Distraught, The Tramp pursues them to try and get his son back. Meanwhile, the woman who left the baby has become a big star and uses her wealth to do charity work helping the poor.

The Kid, as it says at the start of the film, is a picture with a smile and perhaps a tear. The relationship between The Tramp and his adopted son is very sweet and touching. They struggle, but you can tell that he really cares for the boy. I think the choice of subject, a childhood filled with poverty and hardship, was a very personal one for Chaplin. This was his first full length film, which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in and you can really feel all the effort he has put in it. The story sparks off the screen. The jokes are hilarious, bright and light-hearted despite the desperate situation, but the emotional scenes just tear right into you. A lot of credit is due here for the young Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester in the 1960's Addams Family t.v. show). He's such an excellent actor in this movie. He's endearing as the little rascal that he is, but when it comes down to the more emotional parts in the film, like when he gets taken away, his performance is just heart-breaking. The interaction between the Tramp and John seems so realistic, it's hard to believe that they're not really father and son.

What I think is so special about Chaplin's films, is that The Tramp always goes through a sort of transformation. Or it's more a realization and testing of his true character. For example, John gets into a fight with a bigger boy and the other boys father threatens The Tramp that if John wins, he himself is gonna have to fight this much bigger and burlier man. So, instead of letting his boy win (which he was totally going to), The Tramp holds down his son in order to prevent himself having to get into a fight. Beside this being a really funny scene, it's also a pivotal point in the plot that shows how much The Tramp hates to fight, making it all the more heroic when he does so to win his son back.

I've only seen three of Chaplin's films so far, (the Kid, the Circus and City Lights) but I'd say this was probably my favourite. It's nice to see The Tramp try his hand at romance, but a father-son relationship is a much more difficult thing to get right and he succeeded with excellence. I know that silent films are back into fashion a bit now, with 'The Artist' having done so well, so hopefully more people are willing to check out older movies. I used to think that silent movies would be harder to get into because of their lack of dialogue, but I think that that's exactly why a story can hit you so much harder. You pay more attention to the surroundings, to the physicality of the acting and the interactions between the actors. More often than not the music is enough to convey the mood and with great performances like in 'The Kid' you don't even notice the fact that they aren't talking, because like they say, a picture paints a thousand words. Even if you're not certain you'll be able to get into silent film but you're willing to spend an hour finding out, check out The Kid. (Make sure you watch a remastered copy, it'll look great.) It's not just one of my favourite Charlie Chaplin movies, it's probably one of my favourite all together.

RECOMMENDED: Monster High

Monster High is a franchise that mostly revolves around it's merchandise; cool looking dolls made by Mattel based on old Universal monsters and other horror characters. For example, Frankie Stein (Frankenstein, obviously), Draculaura (Dracula), Ghoulia Yelps (a zombie) and Blue Lagoona (granddaughter of the Creature from the Black Lagoon). The dolls all have their own outlandish clothing-style and little attributes to do with the characters. Although the dolls are what caught my attention at first, Monster High is worth checking out even if you're not interested in collecting awesome but freaky Barbies.


So far there have been three books, there's a web-series of very short Flash cartoons, an interactive website and a couple of iPhone apps. The books and the web-series seem to be set in a different kind of world. First of all, in the book (I'm currently reading the first one, written by Lisi Harrison) the monster girls, their families and love interests, have to figure out a way to blend in with the "normies" of the world. Frankie Stein, a very new 15-year old, wishes she could just be herself instead of having to cover her green, stitched-up skin with thick pancake make-up and always wear turtle-necks or scarves to cover her bolts.

While in the book she struggles to cope with hiding her true self and is trying to find a way for the normies to accept her and her friends the way they are, in the web-series the girls get to flaunt their unique looks and identities because they go to a school filled with monsters. In the very short (about a minute and a half each) episodes we see them come across all sorts of problems and situations that you might expect a monster to come across in high school. How exactly do you tell that zombie-boy you fancy him when you can't even really utter a single audible word? How do you put on perfect make-up any emo girl would be jealous of, without a reflection? The cartoons are very heavily laden with puns that wouldn't be out of place in an episode of Tales from the Crypt and have plenty of references to classic (Universal) horror films, to make a monster film fan happy. I like that even though the franchise is there mostly to sell stuff, enough effort has gone in to the details of the characters and story lines to not make it feel like they're just cashing in on a growing population of nerdy chicks.

So, if you like the look of the dolls but aren't willing to fork out any of your money for a just a toy, check out the web-series and you'll quickly find out whether you like the characters or not. The book is really worth a read as well, it's quite a lot like any other story about teenagers in high school, apart from that it's cooler because it's got monsters in it, so you don't have to feel like a weirdo for reading things aimed at people ten years younger than you. (Not that you should anyway..) I think all together Monster High is a very enjoyable, silly and light-hearted collection of characters and stories and it's at least worth a few minutes of your time to check it out!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Muppets

Note: 'The Muppets' was released late in 2011 in the United States and will see a DVD/Blu-Ray release there next month.
After much anticipation it has finally made it's way to European cinemas over the last couple of weeks. 

When I heard there was a new Muppet movie coming out, I was very excited. Since it was going to be written by Jason Segel, who claims to be a huge Muppet nerd, I expected something that was at least pretty good. Most people I know had grown up with the Muppets in some form or another. I started of with watching "Muppet Christmas Carol", then "Muppets Tonight" hosted by Clifford, and from there on the other movies (although, I've not seen all of them yet, including "Muppets Take Manhattan" which was a source for one of this movie's plot points) and episodes of "The Muppet Show". Despite a few T.V. outings, including the decidedly average "Muppets Wizard of Oz", it seemed like they were out of the public eye for a while and that younger generations would be missing out on these wonderful characters, were it not for this new movie.

In "The Muppets" we follow Mary, her fiancee Gary and his rather unusual brother; Walter, who for reasons that will become immediately apparent is the world's biggest Muppet fan. Gary is planning to take Mary to L.A. for their ten year anniversary, but since the Muppet Theater is located there he's also taking Walter. During a tour of the now run-down theater, Walter slinks off into Kermit's old office, disappointed and sad at the state of things. While he's there he finds out that Statler and Waldorf are showing the theater to Tex Richman, a wealthy oil magnate, who has plans to buy and then tear down the place because there's oil underneath. Though, if the Muppets can raise ten million dollars, they could buy back the theater. Walter is shocked and together with Gary and Mary they visit Kermit to try and convince him to do something about it and raise the money. All together they set off to get the old gang back together to put on one last show.

I was surprised at how much "The Muppets" was about the original musical variety show instead of a new, stand-alone adventure. The movie and it's promotional campaign seem so much about reviving the Muppets' popularity, I would have expected it to be less hinged on past occurrences and more on reintroducing the characters and establishing them to a new audience. While watching it, there were so many references to specific details from the shows and there was only a short amount of time spent to explain what kind of characters these Muppets actually are. Not that I'm complaining, it felt like a Muppet movie made for the fans, by the fans. It felt like a celebration, a big Muppet party full of great songs and all your best friends. A nostalgic callback to the opening sequence of  "The Muppet Show" and the inclusion of more obscure characters such as Uncle Deadly and Bobo the Bear, Hobo Joe -  all these details written into the script could have only come from a real Muppet devotee and could only be there to please the old fans. Even Walter is all the die-hard fans wrapped up into one enthusiastic and loveable new Muppet.

But despite the back references and hardcore Muppet-nerd moments, Walter provides a terrific window into the magic of Muppet fandom for newcomers. He is your way in to this wonderful world, explaining why they're so great and beloved. Besides that, I think a lot of the Muppets are just instantly likeable, especially to kids. Like Fozzie, for instance, he's silly and tells bad jokes even children can chuckle at, not necessarily because they're funny, but because of how bad and cheesy they are and Swedish Chef too, even grown-ups don't know what he's on about, so his strange behavior and silly face can make anyone laugh.

I loved how much all the characters were still the same. I've read some complaints about Kermit not being his happy-go-lucky self, but I feel that he never really was such a peppy personality anyway, he was caring, tried to run a chaotic show and was always kind, warm and idealistic. Considering he originated as an avatar for Jim Henson and his personal, hopeful philosophy, I'm not surprised with how things are these days that Kermit is a bit sad and nostalgic. It's so nice to be able to see Jim's spirit live on and that Kermit has not changed into something else (in no small part thanks to the sensitive and caring performance of Jim's successor and one-time protege, Steve Whitmore, who has played Kermit for around twenty years). All the scenes where we get to see them all again were fun: Miss Piggy as the editor of plus-size Vogue (that's such an idealistic Muppet thing as well, like there would ever actually be a plus-size edition of Vogue..); Gonzo with his own business and Animal in anger management training. I liked that his storyline made Animal into more of a person instead of just this rampaging, although of course hilarious, beast and then there was a funny but kind of sad scene with Fozzie now performing with these horrible imposters "the Moopets" in a dingy Reno club.

What I'm really glad about is how well the new songs and characters worked alongside the old-school Muppets. I'm not surprised that "Man or Muppet" received an Academy Award nomination for best original song. The Moopets were fun, although I felt they were underused. I would have liked to have seen more of them and hopefully will when the DVD comes out. 80's Robot was cool - who doesn't like a retro robot? I liked Jason Segel and Amy Adams in it as well, the storyline with Gary and Mary offset with Walter's Muppet adventure works really well. It's funny that in the scene where Mary is sad/annoyed that Walter has to come along on their anniversary trip I'd much more agree with her if Walter was a human being instead of a Muppet, but because he's the way he is I felt more sorry for him. (It makes me wonder whether Walter being a puppet has put him at a disadvantage in this universe. Nobody seems to treat him differently. Is there an unspoken rule that his 'puppethood' is to go unmentioned, much like when The Muppets make appearances at real life events such as the Grammys and the BAFTAs?)

There weren't really any things that annoyed me while watching the movie, or anything that jarred me. I didn't  mind that suddenly the Muppet Theater is in L.A. instead of in England where it was actually filmed, I liked the new characters and loved Walter. The songs are catchy, fun and sweet. A lot of the celebrity cameos seemed unnecessary, but because they were so brief that isn't even really an issue. I liked that the man version of Walter was played by Jim "Sheldon" Parsons and Jack Black was pretty good, definitely less irritating then he has been every other time I've seen him lately. I liked Emily Blunt as Miss Piggy's receptionist, just arrogant and over-styled enough to fit the roll and Rashida Jones was good as the network executive. But the real stars were undoubtedly the Muppets. I really loved this movie. Thinking about it days after watching it, it still brings a smile to my face. I think it's nice that it's proved so popular with kids too. Every time I go into a toy store lately (yes, I go into toy stores a lot!), there's always a kid begging their mum or dad to buy them a Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Kermit, Animal or even Swedish Chef. I think it's not only a really fun, sweet and warm-hearted movie, it has really done the Muppets and their legacy justice and has done a great job of bringing these wonderful characters back into the spotlight.

RECIPE: Sage and onion bread rolls

I got this recipe from the Hairy Bikers' Best of British TV show. I love watching cooking programs and I think they are by far the best. Unlike some shows that go for a fancy "new cuisine" kinda thing, the Hairy Bikers actually cook, talk about and eat food that I'd actually want to eat instead of be weary of it's peculiar ingredients and names that I can't even pronounce. Call me unsophisticated, when it comes to food, nothing goes above a great comforting meal that fills your stomach and lightens your mood, and these delicious bread rolls are just the perfect accompaniment to such a plate of food.

My first ever attempt to even make bread, they turned out wonderful on my first try. I slightly altered the recipe, because I didn't really need eight rolls. Because they are so tasty though, I tried making it to the original recipe and somehow it didn't turn out right. So here's my adapted recipe for the Hairy Bikers' sage and onion bread rolls.

Here's what you need:

- 75 ml of whole milk (and a bit more for glazing)
- 75 ml of water
- 200 g of strong white flour (and a bit extra for kneading)
- half of a 7 g sachet of fast action dried yeast (the original calls for a whole sachet)
- 1/2 tsp caster suger
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 8 g of butter
- 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil (and some extra for greasing)
- 1/2 a large or one small onion, peeled and chopped
- about 4 tbsp full of dried sage (the original uses fresh sage leaves which I didn't have. If you want to use fresh, go for about 10 leaves)
- freshly ground black pepper

Here's what you do:

1. Heat the water and milk until lukewarm.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the yeast, sugar and salt.

3. Make a well in the middle and stir in the water and milk with a wooden spoon or your hands. Make it into a ball and knead it for about 10 minutes on a floured surface.

4. Once kneaded, place your ball of dough into an oiled bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm (loosely) and leave to rise for about 45 minutes to an hour.

5. In the meantime you can fry the onion with the butter and oil until soft. If you like, you can add some fresh garlic. Just before it's done, add the sage to your frying onions and mix it through. Add lots of black pepper and leave it to cool.

6.  When the dough has risen, flatten it with your hands and add the onions and sage on top. Then knead the dough until it's all nicely incorporated. This will get very messy, if it's too wet add a little bit of flour.

7. Divide the dough into four little balls and place them against each other on some baking paper on a baking tray. Again, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C.

8. Brush the rolls with some milk and scatter some sage on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool a little before serving. They're delicious warm with some butter.

Enjoy! 

HOWARD HAWKS DOUBLE BILL: Bringing Up Baby

Bringing Up Baby is our second movie in this Howard Hawks double bill. An immensely enjoyable screwball comedy, it just goes to show what a versatile and talented director Howard Hawks was. Filling his oeuvre with so many classics, from the 1932 Scarface to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes starring the lovely Marylin Monroe and Jane Russell. Now we go from Rio Bravo, made in the late 1950's to one of his earlier efforts. While both movies are now considered masterpieces, unlike Rio Bravo, Bringing Up Baby was a commercial failure. 

In Bringing Up Baby, we follow David Huxley (Cary Grant) who has been trying to get hold of the last bone for his Brontosaurus skeleton which he's been trying to assemble for the last four years. He is about to marry Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker), a stern, boring woman who won't even let their honeymoon get in the way of David's work and his attempt to impress a Mrs. Random (May Robson) who has intentions of donating a million dollars to the museum he works for. On that same day David meets Susan Vance. From the get-go things go wrong, she putts his ball on the golf-course, then proceeds to drive away in his car instead of her own. It is obvious that while she's a stunning beauty, she's also a terrible klutz who not only gets herself into trouble but all of those around her. Misunderstanding Davids profession, she practically forces him to help her take care "Baby", a leopard that she's supposed to give to her aunt. They go to her house in Connecticut and as you might expect, all sorts of misunderstandings and mishaps occur, causing the flaky Susan to fall in love with the awkward David.

Boy, could I ever have a wrong perception of actors. Because of their huge star-quality and dignified status, I always assumed that Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant were big serious actors. I'd never seen a movie with either of them in before and the image I had of them was so wrong! I expected Cary Grant to be like Clark Gable, or more precisely, Rhett Butler. And because Katherine Hepburn is always talked about in terms of outspokenness, strong character and her roles as powerful, sophisticated women, I assumed a certain infallibility and coldness. But both we're so charming, silly and loveable in this movie. Immediately I took to the characters. The stumbling, awkward David reminded me very much of Ross in Friends, another geeky paleontologist who's unassuming charms have a real effect on the women around them. And to stick with the Friends comparisons, Susan is not unlike Phoebe. Both are a bit crazy, silly, get into weird situations but always seem to see the fun of it and their enthusiasm is infectious. It's interesting to think of this movie as a look into how things might have been if Ross and Phoebe had gotten together.

Bringing Up Baby is a movie full of absolutely hilarious scenes, there's not many movies I've laughed out loud at more than this one. Nearly every shot lends itself to another joke. It's full of physical, visual and verbal comedy, lending itself to a very iconic scene where most likely for the first time the word "gay" is used in the way it is used today. The performances are excellent. Grant and Hepburn deliver their lines with such crispness and their acting is so vivid you nearly forget you're watching this movie in black and white. Of course I wouldn't want to see it in colour, the fact that it is in black and white not only transports you back into time but makes it a visually stunning movie. Bringing Up Baby is a must-see for anyone who likes a romantic comedy, slapstick or just likes a laugh really. I don't know why it was such a box-office failure in the first place, but I think it's fifteenth place in the American Film Institutes list of the hundred funniest films of all time is more than deserved. Make sure you see it!

HOWARD HAWKS DOUBLE BILL: Rio Bravo

In the Texas town of Rio Bravo, Sheriff John T. Chance (John Wayne) manages to capture Joe Burdett, who shot an innocent bystander, with the help of his deputy Sheriff, Dude (Dean Martin). They keep him in the towns jail, where he's watched over by Chance's other deputy Sheriff, Stumpy (Walter Brennan). One of Chance's friends arrives in town, together with supplies and a not-so-eager young gunslinger, Colorado (Ricky Nelson). He brings the news that the town is surrounded by ranger Nathan Burdetts' men, preventing Chance from being able to take Joe to Presidio where he will be sentenced. Meanwhile, a beautiful young woman arrives in Rio Bravo by the name of Feathers (Angie Dickinson), who appears to be a card-cheat.

Rio Bravo has a very classic "western" feel about it. There's the dusty, little town of Rio Bravo filled with gamblers, drunks and beautiful women. There's the Sheriff, a man who rules the town with a quiet but demanding presence, and his two deputies. One needs help getting off the bottle after a girl left him and the other limping, old but still up for a good fight. The story at times is hard to follow. So many characters are involved I sometimes lost track, but I think what's so good about a movie like this is that you don't need to know exactly what is going on to understand the story. It's a pleasure just to watch the characters interact and build their relationships, to take in the atmosphere of the place and get drawn into their little world.

 Rio Bravo does this very well. It's slowly paced, but never gets boring because there's just so much to see in between the action. I think what really draws you in are the performances. I wasn't really sure I'd like John Wayne. I'd seen him on the Dean Martin show and found him a bit preachy and old-fashioned, but he makes such an interesting character of Chance. Even though he is the man in charge, he's never in your face about it, but instead lingers in the background, observing what his pals and what his enemies are up to. Of course, when the need arrives, he steps up and performs his duties, but he lets his deputies share the lime-light. What really surprised me was the slowly unfolding romance between Chance and Feathers. I didn't really expect a romance to be part of the story, and if there was it would be between her and Dude. There's a big age difference between the two characters, but I found their interactions very sweet and touching. At times Chance is stubborn and stand-offish, but when he is alone with the girl there's a subtle change in his attitude and behavior. He seems kinder around her.

 

Feathers is a great character too. She seems tough and hardened by her criminal past, or at least her previous association with a famous card-cheat, but she's not afraid to open up and show her true feelings. At times she cries, frustrated by Chance's inability to tell her how he feels, but she never seems like a weak female character. At any point during the film you get the feeling that if the mood takes her, she could take on each and every one of the men in town.

Then there are Chance's deputies, Dude, Stumpy and eventually Colorado. All great characters. Dude, with his alcohol problems, doesn't seem so different from Dean Martin, but I never really though of him during the movie other than Dude. Once one of the best gunslingers, he is a bit of loser now, but in the duration of the story he has some kick-ass moments, showing he still has the ability to be what he used to be. Stumpy is some great comic relief, who's desperate to prove he still has a use beyond being the one who guards and takes care of the prisoners. He's old and wants to do too much and his enthusiasm and grouchiness leads to some funny scenes. He never turns into an unbelievable cartoon character though. Stumpy comes off as a pretty cool old dude. And then there's Colorado, the newest addition to Chance's team. He's such a good shot he never feels the need to show off.

 

Of course, when you have a movie that has Dean Martin and then teen-idol Ricky Nelson in it, you're gonna have to have some songs. This leads to probably my favorite scene in the movie. They're all sitting around in the jail when Dude breaks into the song "My Rifle, My Pony and Me". Then him and Colorado sing "Get Along Home, Cindy", where even Stumpy joins in. Chance lingers in the background, obviously enjoying this sight of camaraderie between his deputies. Another noteworthy piece of music is ""El Degüello" (the Cutthroat song), the movies hauntingly beautiful theme. This musical scene shows exactly what is so good about the movie. If you don't think you like westerns (like I did), give Rio Bravo a go. Directed by the legendary Howard Hawks, Rio Bravo is a real classic western. It's cliche enough to be easy to get into, but it has some really enjoyable scenes, awesome action and wonderful characters.

AXE-WIELDING MANIACS: Point Pleasant

I started watching Point Pleasant after it was already cancelled, being shown it by someone who had the show on DVD. Of course you know you're set up for disappointment trying out a show you know was doomed from the start, but the premise seemed worth it. FOX only aired the first eight of the thirteen episodes made, abandoning the show without giving the viewers a decent ending. On the boxset though, and with current reruns, you can watch the remaining episodes as well, giving light to a quite surprising ending.

Point Pleasant starts when Christina washes up on shore after a heavy storm. She ends up staying at one of Point Pleasant families' house, trying to find out who she is and what happened to her mother, who grew up in the town. Slowly the plot unfolds as Christina is troubled by her strengthening powers which seem to point to her evil destiny and she struggles to decide between her fate and her wish to be good. Her presence has a disturbing effect on the people around her, turning the quiet, idyllic coastal town into a hub of lies, deceit and lust.

While the show has a very heavy religious theme, it is more like a Sunset Beach than Seventh Heaven.What drew me in was it's dark, Gothic feel and sense of pending doom combined with the back-stabbing, cheating, secretive people of Point Pleasant. I liked that it was exactly those awful qualities humanity possesses that taunted with Christina's inborn evil, teasing and drawing it out. While a show with such a theme could so easily come across as preachy and an advertisement for being a goody-two-shoes, it never seems to tell you "Hey, look at these people, they're despicable and they're exactly what you should avoid to be." It glamorizes the darker side of being human and giving in to your worst qualities just like a soap would do, making Point Pleasant not only edge-of-your-seat material, but also highly entertaining.

It's said that just that, the ridiculous character relations where what made the audience dwindle. But I don't see why, when most of them will have been drawn to it because of it's connections with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tru Calling. It was co-created by Marti Noxon, who wrote some of the more soap-opera like BtVS episodes, so I would have thought that that should not have been a problem. It's a shame the show got cancelled because instead of rushing to an ending it had potential to become something really interesting. I would have liked to have seen where they could take it, either to see what happens after Christina's decision, or to give it some more time before she had to make a choice.

(Does this image remind you of an iconic cancelled T.V. Show? No, me neither.. Up next week: Twin Peaks!)